Anthony Hayes

Anthony Michael Hayes came into this world in the winter of 1994 quickly realizing “all the good stuff is in my heart” and left in the summer of 2020 “to thank God for such a lovely place.” While he was here, Anthony made such an enduring lasting impression, wise far beyond his years with a generosity that knew no bounds. He was ever the protector, especially for his cousins Alora, Arionna, and Tony, whom Anthony brought out of his shell. He was the chef, especially for all of his friends. As a brother, Anthony gave Ryan as many stitches as he did (and vice versa) as he did love, which was unquestioning and unfaltering. As a perpetual philosopher, dreamer, and the ultimate vagabond who logged more miles in a few short years than most in their entire lifetime. Music, his solace through the good times and the bad, as was his grandparents, and in his grandmother he found a best friend. Anthony had no shortages of mother figures. From Aunt Marie, to Grandma Lou, to Momma Bear, and of course, Kelly’s brisket fed more than his stomach but also his soul. As an artist, he spray-painted the walls of life with his enduring colorful ways being truly his own person, and that can never be washed away. As an entrepreneurial spirit, Anthony found a way, and loved fishing for the sheer pleasure of casting his line in the water to see what he may catch next for his adventures they were many. As a friend, Anthony was one who did not tell you what you wanted to hear, but rather, he was the one who told you what you needed to hear and never shied away from saying it. Likewise, there was not a stranger that was not soon a friend. Everyone he loved with reckless abandon, and lived each day the same, no waiting for tomorrow. As a son, Anthony taught his father, more than he could ever teach him. He taught Bryan patience. He taught Bryan to look at his own prejudices, judgments, and fears. He taught Bryan the joy of seeing his eldest son grow into the man who touched so many and left such a lasting legacy. Your voice, you were heard. Your love, you never spared. Your smile, you always gave. Your wisdom, you have shared. Our hearts, you have touched.